A Replacement Bride

Chapter 43

"Keith, I beg you to pull your sh*t together. Otherwise, you're not allowed to visit my place in the future." Katherine pushed Keith's big face away and spoke harshly.

"Okay, you ruthless woman. Do you still regard yourself as my sister?" Keith sat irritably on the couch, looking at the gamepad, then at the VR eye set beside him. He was ultimately terrified by the bloody image and did not dare to look any further.

He appeared dissatisfied as he sat on the couch with nowhere to rest his long legs.

"Are you really going to promise Jorge to marry the b*stard from the Levisays?" Keith inquired glumly after a while of sitting.

He had just returned from Kyoland when he discovered Katherine had agreed to Jorge's request to marry into the Levisay Family.

Still, Joaquin's notorious character was hard to ignore. According to rumors, this romantic playboy was in a car accident while playing with a woman that resulted in the paralysis of both legs and disfigured facial features.

Why would someone of this caliber marry my sister?

"Save the worry, kiddo," Katherine said casually in response to Keith's words. She then poured herself a glass of warm water and drank it slowly.

"I'm no longer a kiddo. I'll be eighteen this year!" exclaimed Keith.

"Precisely. So, you're still underaged." She arched her brows and gazed at the child in front of her.

The boy in front of her was much taller than he had been five years before, and his facial features remained immature, but he no longer appeared to be the little boy who only cried and ran.

Katherine's lips curved and her face lit up with a smile.

"That's not the issue. You have yet to answer me. Are you really going to marry that guy from the Levisays?" Keith yanked at his hair irritably, never hating his age so much.

Of course, he was not as young as Katherine made him out to be. This year marked his seventeenth birthday and he was already a degree student at the University of Bora.

He believed that if he worked hard to mature and become intelligent and excellent, he would be able to protect his sister and keep her safe from the bullies. He had no idea that he was still too young to do so. No matter how hard he tried, he would never be able to reach it; he could not protect his sister the way she deserved.

Keith was extremely frustrated. He sat down and kicked the coffee table in front of him.

"Back then, Mom decided on the marriage." Katherine took a sip of water, her stomach warm and comfortable.

Her tone was gentle but firm.

When Keith heard her words, he opened his mouth and wanted to say that Elsie was blind. She would not have liked Jorge in the first place if she had a good taste.

However, he kept quiet with a clearly upset expression.

"You're never going to listen to me anyway. Katherine, can you please wait for me? I'll put in more effort and man up. They won't be able to bully you as long as I'm around."

Keith would never forget how Jorge drove out Katherine and Jennifer five years ago.

It was believed that if Keith had not been Jorge's biological son and the only male in the Cornells, Jorge would have abandoned him as well.

The hoarseness in Keith's voice revealed its pubescent nature, which made her nose uncomfortable when she heard it.

She had been through so much in Fontan in the last five years that no matter how difficult it was, she could endure it through gritted teeth. This time, however, she had the urge to cry because of Keith's words.

"Little guy, you're so good with your words. Do you have a girlfriend at school?" Katherine pursed her lips, took a step forward, and placed her hand on top of Keith's head. She then caressed and ruffled his hair.

"I'm not joking!" Keith gave her a dismissive look.

"All right, then. I'll wait. You must man up quickly and protect me when you grow up." She nodded solemnly, her tone light.

He stood up and embraced her. "Look! I'm taller than you now. I'll grow up soon. I've made money now, though it's not much, but believe me, I'll make a lot of money in the future. You won't have to live under the pressure from others anymore. I'll shut them up with power and money!"

After hearing Keith's childish words, Katherine's smile brightened.

She considered herself very fortunate that Jennifer gave birth to Keith. There was at least one blood- related person in this world and she did not feel down because of familial love.

Keith was not one to slump in his feelings. He was sad for a while but was drawn to the game soon enough. Content property of NôvelDra/ma.Org.

As much as he was shy and timid, he enjoyed playing thrilling zombie gunfight games that made him scream.

In the kitchen, Katherine was preparing dinner; hearing Keith's cries in the living room, she could not help but sigh and shake her head.

I hope this kid grows up to be able to defend himself, though I'm not sure how long that will take.

While Keith was having a good time here, Joaquin's face was becoming increasingly unappealing.

The apartment's sound insulation was excellent, but because Joaquin opened the balcony door, the voice from the next door could be heard clearly.

"Ah! Katherine, Katherine, I'm going to die—"

"Kathy! Kathy, please save me—"

"F*ck, my butt. Help!"

Every sound was simply intolerable.

Joaquin picked up the phone and dialed the property number after pinching his cool fingertips.

Katherine's doorbell rang ten minutes later.

Before walking over to open the door, she wiped her wet hands and turned down the heat on the stove.

Two uniformed security guards stood at the door. The penetrating screams from the room could still be heard clearly as Katherine approached to open the door.

The two guards' expressions changed and they announced seriously, "Miss Cornell, right? The owner next door complained that you made too much noise, which interfered with his sleep. I hope you can lower down your volume."

Katherine remained silent, shifted her gaze to the terrified little brother playing games on the couch, and pressed her temples.

"I'm sorry. We will lower down our volume. Sorry for the inconvenience."

The security guards did not embarrass Katherine because they saw her positive attitude, so they left after a few reminders.

"Okay. You're not allowed to play; you can take the game back and play at your place. You're too noisy," she said after removing Keith's VR eye set and shutting the door.

With a sad expression on his face, he smelled the fragrance in the air and immediately forgot about the game. "Kathy, is dinner ready?" he asked as he stood up.

"Yeah. Wash your hands." Katherine extended her hand and patted his agitated palms.

Keith ran happily to wash his hands like a dog wagging its tail.

Kathrine's cooking abilities were exceptional; she was able to survive with Jennifer in Fontan by relying on her cooking skills.

At that time, Jennifer was very ill and she required a lot of daily medical expenses, which were all supported by the money earned by Katherine's food stall.

"Can I live with you in the future, Kathy? I don't want to return to Cornell Residence." Keith, who had washed his hands, took a big bite of meat by stuffing it into his mouth before looking at Katherine expectantly.

"No. The Cornell Residence is owned by our grandparents. I can't let the three of them live comfortably in our home," she flatly refused.

Keith groaned aggrievedly as he realized he could only turn his grief and rage into appetite.